A Neutron Electric Dipole Moment? – Brad Filippone

Date: Thu. April 17th, 2008, 4:15 pm-5:15 pm
Location: Rockefeller 301

For more than fifty years physicists have searched for a neutron Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) beginning with a search for Parity violation by Purcell and Ramsey. Today the search is motivated by a possible “large” violation of Charge-Parity (CP) symmetry which is suggested by the observation of substantially more matter than antimatter in the Universe. A new experiment is underway to search for a neutron EDM with the goal of improving the sensitivity by more than two orders-of-magnitude. This ambitious experiment brings together physicists with expertise in particle, nuclear, atomic and low-temperature physics. We will discuss the importance of searching for new sources of CP violation as well as the technical challenges involved in this new experiment.